3 1 Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. 2 This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from our Father, for no one can do these signs that you do unless our Father is with him."
3 Jesus replied to him, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born from above he cannot see the kingdom of our Father." a a v3 anōthen means both 'from above' and 'again.' Nicodemus hears 'again' — hence his question about re-entering the womb (v4).
4 Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"
5 Jesus answered, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Holy Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of our Father." 6 What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Holy Spirit is spirit. 7 Don't be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit. b b v8 The same word means both "wind" and "Spirit" — Jesus uses the one you can feel but not trace to picture the one who gives new birth.
9 Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?"
10 Jesus answered him, "Are you the teacher of Israel and yet you do not understand these things?" 11 Truly, truly, I say to you, we speak of what we know, and bear witness to what we have seen, but you do not receive our testimony. 12 If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you heavenly things? 13 No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, c c v14 Moses raised a bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness so that any Israelite bitten by a snake could look at it and live (Numbers 21:8–9). 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. 16 For our Father so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. d d v16 The love that gave the Son is the Father's love. Our Father did not send a stranger into the world — he gave his own Son, Jesus, so we could come home as his children. 17 For our Father did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but so that the world might be saved through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of our Father. 19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. 20 For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, for fear that his works will be exposed. 21 But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in our Father.
Baptizing in Judea
22 After this, Jesus and his disciples went into the Judean countryside, and there he remained with them and was baptizing. 23 John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because water was plentiful there, and people were coming and being baptized, 24 for John had not yet been put in prison. 25 Now a discussion arose between some of John's disciples and a Jew over purification. 26 And they came to John and said to him, "Rabbi, he who was with you across the Jordan, to whom you bore witness—look, he is baptizing, and all are going to him."
27 John replied, "A person cannot receive even one thing unless it is given him from heaven." 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.' 29 The one who has the bride is the bridegroom — Jesus. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom's voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. e e v29 John names Jesus as the Bridegroom — the one our Father has long promised would come for his Bride, the people he loves. John's joy is the friend's joy at the wedding finally arriving. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
31 The one who comes from above is above all. The one who is of the earth belongs to the earth and speaks in an earthly way. The one who comes from heaven is above all. 32 He bears witness to what he has seen and heard, yet no one receives his testimony. 33 Whoever receives his testimony confirms that our Father is true. 34 For the one whom our Father has sent speaks the words of our Father, for he gives the Holy Spirit without measure. 35 Our Father loves the Son and has given all things into his hand. f f v35 The Father-Son love revealed in this verse is the inner life of God himself — eternal, unchanging, and the source of everything our Father has given to the Son to carry into the world. 36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of our Father remains on him.